#The movies superstar edition review movie

Had the rest of “Superstar” pushed its parody as far, this might have been a more pointed and memorable debut feature. Amid all the low-impact improv, the songs, written by the Frenches, are the bilingual film’s strongest element. Juan, for instance, plays a benefit concert for Chiropractic Aid for Chicano Agriculturalists, whose shorthand name, CACA, is used in dialogue as often as possible. The jokes play consistently at surface level, with many of the intended laugh lines involving silly acronyms. Lest any stereotype go unused, a West Hollywood stylist named Philip Fancydance (Louis Jacobs) helps with Juan’s less-than-credible shift from humble balladeer to bling-happy reggaetonero. The agents of change are Juan’s aggressively enthusiastic girlfriend, Angelica (Maria Esquivel), and unctuous impresario Narcisso (David Franco), both playing it way over-the-top.

The trajectory of a pure talent’s discovery, corruption by stardom and rejection of his roots is as familiar as the showbiz hangers-on who facilitate his rise from open-mike nights at neighborhood bars. That wouldn’t be a problem if she had chosen to forefront a story line less broad and cliched than what unfolds here. There’s material to mine in Juan’s eight jobs, but the director, who co-wrote the script with her star, leaves the cultural commentary on a low simmer. Vijay's studied portrayal of a gutsy and lucky RAW spy is a huge plus.Digital Creator Nina Daniele Signs With CAA (Exclusive) A lot of stock situations look old.Īnirudh's background score and Manoj Paramahamsa's cinematography lend a touch of dignity to the film. The punchline is fifteen years old! But this punchline is not the only thing that feels borrowed about 'Beast'. Nothing embodies the film's lack of creative energies more than Vijay parroting Mahesh Babu's punchline from 'Pokiri'. One of them even has the mood to body-shame a fellow captive. Rate This Game Summary Developed by Lionhead Studios, The Movies: Superstar Edition harkens back to the era of the Hollywood moguls, allowing players to oversee stables of screenwriters, directors. Wait, do you even remember how they look? The captives are never tired of cracking jokes and hurling repartees. It's as if he is there to keep 'Beast' from becoming a full-length comedy. There is no intrigue when Vijay's character is around. We don't get a clear idea of how many terrorists are there and on which floor. There is a sentimental terrorist who is a conveniently-written stock character. As the gun battle unfolds, the staging turns out to be amateurish and lacking in dynamism and believability it is as if Vijay is standing inside a lift, with the doors of the lift opening and closing just at the right time. There is an action sequence where Vijay is in the middle of a life-threatening situation. Amid references to NSA and Mossad, a PM aspirant and a reckless special officer (Selvaraghavan), 'Beast' forgets to construct edgy situations. This is an action-comedy that unfolds in the backdrop of a hostage situation where the one category that shouldn't have been reduced to a caricature is reduced to worse: terrorists. The Swimmer may seem an odd choice for Grindhouse, such a marginal, art house title might seem more at home on Criterion. Now comes a wonderful new blu-ray edition from Grindhouse releasing. A bare bones edition was released on dvd a few years ago. 'Beast' belongs to the third, forbidden category: this superstar vehicle tempts us to say that it should have been headlined by a medium-range hero. It was released on VHS, of which I had a copy. Some other superstar movies are like this: they feel like superstar movies that some other hero, too, can do (not listing an example to avoid offending fanboys). An example would be the AR Murugadoss-directed 'Sarkar'. Some superstar movies are like this: they make us say that only that particular actor can do it. The way Vijay is edged out of the screen at times, you can safely bet that director Nelson wrote the script with a second-rung hero in mind.Īctually, we got to say more.

#The movies superstar edition review movie

You walk into a Thalapathy Vijay movie expecting the hero's dominance. But then, do you watch superstar movies expecting things to go this way? Not at all. Some of them like Yogi Babu and even Pooja Hegde, wear their character quirks on their sleeves. The characters around him are hostages, much like Veera himself, yet they don't show terror on their faces. Veera Raghavan (Vijay) looks somewhat detached and impassive. A good 40 minutes or so into 'Beast', it is not difficult to see where the movie is headed.